Efficacy of different entomopathogenic fungal isolates against chilli aphid, Myzus Persicae (Sulz.)

In recent years, microbial control of insect pests is becoming popular as insect pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and nematodes serve as potential bioagents in pest management. Among the different microbial agents, entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are gaining importance in pest control. They can be easily mass cultured on artificial media without affecting their virulence at a cheaper cost. They are highly species specific with minimal impact on non-target organisms. The current study aimed to study the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungal isolates against aphid, Myzus Persicae (Sulz.) in chilli. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the pathogenicity of Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Lecanicillium lecanii against chilli aphid. From the study it is revealed that B. bassiana @ 108 spores ml-1 were found to be effective and found to be more superior to the other entomopathogenic fungal isolates viz., Metarhizium anisopliae and Lecanicillium lecanii against chilli aphid.